Hey KaW, So I made this post because recently I've been having some just general thoughts about my time on KaW and the people I've met along the way. I just wanted to see what people think about this kind of thing, whether they actually care or it doesn't mean anything to them. I've played this game for just over 4 years now and when I go through my contacts list on here I see so many people that I used to have daily conversations with, that are now inactive. This list is in the hundreds easily. Just one thing that, for some reason has only just clicked is that every interaction I've had with all of those people had possibly changed things in their life if I wasn't talking to them at that moment in time. There have been times where I'd been up at 5 am convincing a friend to not commit suicide, or times where I had just been talking to a friend about their day and how they are. What would have happened if I wasn't there. But also there have been the arguments and falling outs, what would have happened and changed if I wasn't there. I just had a moment thinking, what had I changed (if anything). Had I cheered them up, had I actually saved a life from taking the time to talk? Had my interactions done something for better or worse and what would their situation be like if I wasn't there at all. I don't know what I'm getting at really; I was just wondering if other people actually give much thought to all of the things they have done within this massive community over the years, and whether or not they care if it was good or bad. The TL;DR of all this is me just asking, How do you feel about your actions in the community and how do you think they affect others?
First thing you should be asking is, are you even memorable enough to have your actions affect someone let alone the community?..
I don't mean the community as a whole I mean just with individuals. And it doesn't have to be me being memorable. Just say if at one time I had an argument with someone and they were angry. Would something they did that day have been affected by that?
And the other part of the question was do people even care if their actions affect others in this way.
And the other part of the question was do people even care if their actions affect others in that way?
I'm not sure if this is what you're getting at...but I know that there are people I've met on KaW, that go beyond just a KaW friendship. I've met some great people on here - and certain people and their friendships have affected me; whether that be in a good or bad way. Some people on KaW go beyond just being people on KaW, if that makes sense. I know I've made (and possibly lost) some real friendships.
Personally I think if Internet people can so affect /impact your life in any way, then you gotta get off the Internet and get some real people around you. Now if you meet those internet people, then the above statement can change.
Majority of people will always just be those people you met online. But from my personal experience, you can meet some great people, that are just as important as any friend you meet in person. Even if you've never met them, doesn't mean they can't be just as important. I'm not saying that's true for every single person though.
Ive made a few friends on KaW that i look forward to talking to in PM's and even a select few i talk with outside KaW. I enjoy all the different personalities and even cultural backgrounds some of the individuals I've talked with during my time playing KaW. But on to your question. Do i think i have impacted somebody's real life in any way from my actions within the game? No i don't believe i have and if i did cause a person to have issues because of whats said in a game or even whats not said. Then IMO that person had issues to begin with and needs to find real help outside a game.
I've talked to real nice people on here and some really nasty ones. Nasty ones as in hateful. It makes me sad that they can't be cordial on a game that uses live communication. What is so bad about your life that you refuse to be respectful? Recently someone I used to talk to had something on their banner that made me think they were going thru a rough time. Trying to contact them was difficult because they blocked me ( I left their clan for personal reasons) telling a clan mate of theirs to give them a message was the only way I could say anything. I don't know if it was passed to them but I feel better because I tried. I've talked to deployed military and hope they are still around to de stress on here. Young people who think they are going to die because their bf/gf broke up with them. Single mothers trying to manage without the father. The people in this game have made me lay it down for weeks at a time because of their behavior, has gotten me kicked out of clans for speaking my mind, Silenced several times, and put on clans CA. I can only hope the ones I've interacted with or have seen my negative actions have learned a little lesson. As adults we must lead by example. Respect and be respected, reward and be rewarded. Knowledge is power. Power is not monetary or material. No one owes you anything, you EARN what you have.
It has affected me and someone alot i found the most awesome person ever on here and we now regulaly meet up and get on really well
The plot of the movie "It's a wonderful life" asks basically this same thing, have you even really made an impact in other people's lives? If you've never seen the movie I'd recommend that you do, it shows that your actions really can make a huge difference in other's lives.